Have you heard the news? Today's transfer news
Por Martin Banks
  • First off is a non-player transfer (are they called transfers when it's a manager?); Tony Mowbray has gone from West Bromwich Albion to Celtic. From his point of view it must've been a difficult decision and if I'm honest I think I disagree with his choice. He was adored by the Baggies fans despite finishing bottom of the league, an acceptance he will NOT find at many (if any) clubs and now he has gone to a club that will be disappointed if he comes 2nd! Celtic's goal is to win the league and 2nd is just not good enough. I guess he must be a brave man. Fair play to him for taking on the challenge and having ambition, but I must say, I'd have been tempted by the easier option and stayed where I had won over the fans already.
  • Bacary Sagna has denied that he is on the way out of Arsenal, as the French press claim the full back is heading to Real Madrid. The deal would make sense from Madrid's point of view, as concerns grow that they are only buying players that make the headlines. If they are really planning to build a team to dominate Europe, you hope that there is someone there who has enough football knowledge to know that they need to have a quality defence, not just attack. Sagna has been great for Arsenal this season, holding Eboue out of the team and it must be music to Wenger's ears that he isn't leaving the Emirates.
  • Talking of right-backs, Glen Johnson seems set to become a Liverpool player any day now. The deal is reported to be worth £18.5m, adding to Portsmouth's huge reaps of transfer cash in the last year. The England man has had a good season and has shown a superb aptitude when going forward, even getting some games in midfield. The recent game against Andorra seems to have added about £5m to his value, after he displayed such excellent ability to create goalscoring opportunities. It seems the fact that Andorra are such a small nation, made up of amateur players, is irrelevent.
  • Premier League new boys (well, returners) Wolverhampton Wanderers have signed Serbian midfielder Nenad Milijas from Red Star Belgrade. He has shown for Red Star that he can find the net from midfield and Wolves have beaten off interest from local rivals Aston Villa to get their man.
  • Birmingham City defender Stephen Kelly has moved to Fulham, after being loaned out by the Blues to Stoke City in the last transfer window. The right back played every minute of every game when Birmingham were last in the Premier League.
  • Everton are looking most likely to get Kyle Naughton from Sheffield United, after months of speculation about where the player would be playing next season. Villa and Everton appeared to be the favourites to get the attacking full back and it seems now that the Toffees will pip Villa to the post.
  • Finally, Aston Villa have been reported by many papers to have begun talks with David Bentley and the that the player is very keen to make the switch to the Midlands club after a very disappointing season for the former Blackburn winger. His style would be very adaptable at Villa, who play an attacking wide style, but his agent has claimed that the reports are not true. Villa have also been linked with Jenas, Huddlestone and Bent, so it seems that some business will take place between Tottenham and Villa, though who and when is still to be confirmed.